


After Losing Shiro

by nightwingingit



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, What happened after S2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:52:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9423497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwingingit/pseuds/nightwingingit
Summary: “Shiro!” Keith had been the first and fastest to sprint over to the black lion after they had all landed in the castle.With bated breath, the door to the black lions command center finally started to open and fear crept into Keith.Please let him be here.  Please let him be safe.“Shiro?” Keiths voice was softer as he looked around with no sign of the missing paladin.Allura and the others gathered around his empty chair alongside him, “He’s gone.”They all took a moment to process what they were seeing.Shiro was gone.  But he’d just been in his lion not too long ago.  Where was he?  Was he okay?  Was he still alive?---Occurs directly after the group finds Shiro has disappeared from his lion.





	

“Shiro!” Keith had been the first and fastest to sprint over to the black lion after they had all landed in the castle.

 

With bated breath, the door to the black lions command center finally started to open and fear crept into Keith.

 

Please let him be here.  Please let him be safe.  

 

“Shiro?” Keiths voice was softer as he looked around with no sign of the missing paladin.

 

Allura and the others gathered around his empty chair alongside him, “He’s gone.”

 

They all took a moment to process what they were seeing.

 

Shiro was gone.  But he’d just been in his lion not too long ago.  Where was he?  Was he okay?  Was he still alive?

 

“What happened?” Lance asked in stunned bewilderment.

 

“He can’t just up and disappear!  How is that possible?!” Hunk asked, his anxiety spiking, hands in his hair, shocked.

 

“It shouldn’t be.  We all heard him.  Shiro was just here moments ago.  Something must have happened to him during the blast.” Pidge commented, inspecting the area for any clues.

 

“Maybe he was ejected into space!” Hunk yelled horrified.

 

“There’s no evidence of that hypothesis anywhere.” Pidge told him.

 

“But it is our best guess for now.” Allura said, her hands gripping together determined.

 

“Then let’s get out there and see if he’s floating around in space!” Lance shouted.

 

Everyone quickly exited but Keith, remained in his trance, staring at the black lions empty seat.

 

_Keith remembers a desolate planet and a warm fireplace, “Keith, if I don’t make it out of here… I want you to lead Voltron.”_

 

_“Stop talking like that.  You’re gonna make it.” Keith had told him._

 

_Shiro hadn’t said anything after that, just smiled, but… it was sad.  It was as if he’d given up on himself already but was keeping quiet for Keith’s sake._

 

_Keith was about to tell him that he would make sure that he would watch out for him.  Always._

 

_But then Pidge had come to their rescue and their conversation was over._

 

_Keith had thought that sort of talk was over, until Shiro had brought it up again when they went to meet the Galra rebels._

 

_“You’ll have to control your emotions if you’re going to lead this group someday.” Shiro had told him so nonchalantly that it took Keith aback._

 

_Keith scoffed, a nervous smile on his lips, “Lead the group?”_

 

_Shiro’s voice was as always, deep, warm, and familiar, even as they were speaking of such a foreign concept, “When we were stranded I told you, if anything ever happens to me I want you to lead Voltron.”_

 

_“I thought you were just delirious with pain.” Keith’s brow creased, realizing just how serious Shiro was about this, “W-why would you make me the leader?”_

 

_“Because I know what you’re capable of if you can learn some self discipline.”  What get’s to Keith is that Shiro is still so calm and it grates on Keith’s nerves._

 

_“Why are we even talking about this?!  Nothing is gonna happen to you.” Keith tells him with conviction._

 

_I won’t let anything happen to you._

 

_Keith looks forward again as he pilots his red lion.  He doesn’t want to hear this anymore.  Shiro was not going to leave them._

 

_He was not going to leave him.  Again._

 

_As if picking up on Keith’s distress Shiro puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “It’s just in case.”_

 

“Keith hurry up!” Lance shouted, bringing him back to reality.

 

Keith reluctantly exited with the rest.  Everyone heading to their lions to scope out space to check for Shiro.

 

When he reached the red lion something was strange, off somehow.

 

“Hey red, let me in.” He called to it.  

 

But he got no response.

 

Everyone else was already in their lions ready to go.

 

“Keith what’s the matter?” Coran asked, “Why haven’t you boarded your lion?”

 

Keith grunted in frustration, “I don’t know.  The red lion’s not responding to me.”

 

“Maybe the red lion has procured some damage causing it to malfunction.” Allura commented.

 

“What should we do?” Hunk worried.

 

“Go look for Shiro.” Keith told them, “I’ll figure something out.”

 

The other paladins flew out into the vacuum of space.

 

Keith remained, continuously trying to get his lion to respond but it wouldn’t move an inch no matter what he said or did.  Two hours passed by the time the others came back.

 

“There’s no sign of him anywhere.” Pidge told them pulling the helmet off.

 

“Yeah I got nada.” Hunk added.

 

“The ship shows there’s no readings of any life around here that could be Shiro either.” Allura said as she walked up to them.

 

“Figure out what’s wrong with your lion yet?” Lance asked turning disheartened to Keith, “We could use more eyes out there, y'know?”

 

Keith’s hands clenched at his sides as he looked down, angry at his own uselessness, “No.  Its- Its not responding.”

 

“There seems to be nothing wrong with it.” Coran chirped coming up behind them, “You should be able to pilot it just fine.”

 

“I know!  There’s just- I can’t communicate with it anymore for some reason.  Like its refusing to talk to me!” Keith’s yelled.

 

Everyone was silent for a moment as Keith bit his lip, “I-”

 

“We’re all a little tired, maybe we should take a break-” Allura said trying to comfort everyone.

 

“That’s a great idea.” Coran backed up ushering everyone out of the room.

 

“I’m not going.” Keith told them, “We have to find Shiro.  He’s out there.  I know it!”

 

“We’ve been looking for hours.” Allura soothed, “We’re all just as worried as you-”

 

“NO YOU’RE NOT!” Keith shouted, he could feel the blood rushing in his veins, “You don’t know HOW worried I am about Shiro!  You don’t know anything about what Shiro is to me!”

 

“Get off your high horse would you?!” Lance shouted back, unable to handle Keith’s outburst any longer.  He gets right up into Keith’s face, but Keith doesn’t move away, standing his ground.

 

“Lance…” Pidge tried to say something to stop Lance but Lance wouldn’t have any of it.

 

“NO!  Keith we’ve been looking for HOURS for Shiro and WITHOUT YOU!  We all know you and Shiro are a THING but that doesn’t mean we’re not worried too!”

 

“I KNOW!” Keith cries.  Because he does.  He knows he’s being unreasonable.  He knows but he can’t seem to stop himself.

 

“I’m not mad at you guys okay?!  I’m mad at MYSELF!  Shiro has been there for me, when my parents died I was ALONE!  I had NOBODY!  But Shiro- Shiro helped me back then and so many times after that!  I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for Shiro!  I lost him once already back at the Garrison and I PROMISED myself I wouldn’t let that happen again!  And now- now he’s-” Keith let out a shuddering breath realizing, that yes, he WAS crying.

 

He covered his face in his hands.

 

“Hey-hey…” Lance tilted his head not really knowing what to do.  He’d never seen Keith cry before.  No one had.

 

Everyone gathered around Keith now.

 

“Time for a group hug buddy.” Hunk embraced Keith and Lance, Pidge on their other side also complying.  Allura and Coran wrapped their arms around them too, Keith in the center.

 

That’s right… it wasn’t just Shiro anymore.  These guys, they were his family too.

 

\---

 

Keith sat in the commanding seat of the black lion leaning against the back of the seat, head tilted up as he took a shuddering breath.

 

His arms stroked the armrests at his sides as if maybe he could feel inklings of Shiro’s presence through the metal.  

 

The last place they’d known Shiro was at was in the black lion.  Sitting in this exact spot.  

 

He’d been avoiding it but…

 

He could feel it.  The black lion speaking to him.

 

Everyone else was asleep but…

 

Keith had had a dream.  It was of when he was piloting the black lion back when Shiro and him were stranded.

 

At the end of the dream Shiro had embraced him in a farewell hug, had smiled at him, half memory and half made up fantasy.

 

He’d basked in that warmth right before waking up.

 

And that was when he knew he couldn’t ignore the black lions calls anymore.

 

That was why he was sitting here.

 

It felt awkward.  Like putting on shoes that were too big.  He felt too young, too inexperienced, small.  

 

He didn’t WANT to lead the team but when push came to shove… COULD he lead the team?  

 

“You knew I would refuse at first.” He said to the black lion, fondness in his voice, he knows the black lion also cares for Shiro, “You and red are conspiring against me aren’t you?  Red is ignoring me on purpose because he wants me to pilot you.”

 

Keith could feel the agreement from the black lion even though they didn’t physically respond and he couldn’t bring himself to feel angry or bitter about it.  It was also what Shiro wanted.

 

Keith breathed in deeply and then let it out, steadying himself, “...Okay.”

 

He could hear the black lion agree and he could feel the red lion in his head also agreeing.  It had been the first time since the battle that the red lion had interacted with him.

 

“There you are you annoying cat.” Keith commented allowing himself a bittersweet smile, “I get it.  I get it.”

  
Keith stroked the controls of the black lion, imagining Shiro’s hands there and then gripping them in his own, “Okay, but only until we get Shiro back.  And we WILL get Shiro back.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have 0 time to be writing this honestly but I also felt like I had too.
> 
> I will definitely go back and reread and fix it up later but I think I'm pretty satisfied with this piece.
> 
> I really needed some Sheith Keith-centric angst.
> 
> Please comment to let me know you're out there.


End file.
